Volume 4 Chapter 64 Bluff
In the first phase of the Northwest Campaign launched in the spring of the sixth year of Jianyan, the Song Dynasty gained every advantage.
Almost all the city and land that had been taken away by Western Xia after the Jingkang Incident were recaptured in an orderly manner, and Yan'an was gradually surrounded on both sides... This was understandable, because Western Xia itself could not make an effective defense outside the traditional defense line. At the same time, the Jurchens, the real military bargaining chips, were slow to take on heavy responsibilities in the war.
What about the Tanguts? What about the Jurchens? It's very simple... it's a medieval military problem of attack and defense.
To be precise, it is a question of the cost of attack and defense.
When both sides have mature artillery technology, it is ridiculous to use the ancient saying of "surround the enemy with ten" as a standard. But the problem is that even so, if the attacking side wants to defeat the defending side, it still needs to create an advantage in combat power, manpower and logistical reserves of the defending side by multiples before it can take action.
In this case, when the combat power of the two sides is not much different, the attacking side will inevitably suffer more setbacks overall, while the defending side will have a greater chance of success overall, and the so-called strategic confrontation will naturally form at this time. If there is a geographical barrier between the two sides that naturally increases military costs, such as the Yellow River, the Yellow River, and the Yellow River, then this confrontation will be further strengthened.
Therefore, the key does not lie in Wanyan Wushu's speed of judgment, not in Li Qianshun's decision-making direction, not in the combat effectiveness of the Jin army, not in the number of Western Xia troops, nor in the deliberate planning of the Song army and the incoordination between the two sides after Jin and Western Xia were forced to fight, but in the fact that as the war progressed to this year, a strategic balance was reached between the Song and Jin-Western Xia.
At this time, anyone who gives up defense to attack will always seem to lose more than the gain in terms of theoretical expectations.
Of course, this raises a natural question, a question that Li Qianshun kept probing and Wanyan Wushu kept doubting - if this was the case, how could the Song army be able to launch an offensive? Even in Yan'an on the other side of the Yellow River? How could the Song people store so much food and military supplies in just one year? Why were the Zhao Song officials so determined?
Was it the easy pacification of the South and the easy recovery of Jingdong after Yaoshan that made him so proud that he lost his true judgment?
If that's the case, then it's naturally a good thing, but even so, the same thing still applies: no one dares to gamble!
"We don't have the ability to attack, at least we can't really have a big decisive battle in the Hengshan-Yan'an battlefield." Zhao Jiu stood in front of the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum on Qiaoshan Mountain in the north of Fangzhou City, looking at the mausoleum with his hands behind his back, and listened to the military summary and suggestions of the two generals, and gave a direct answer. "Because if we really attack now, it will be a battle of at least 100,000 people. A battle of 100,000 people, if the enemy holds on for two months without fighting, it will be enough to drag down our logistics, and naturally we will be defeated without a fight... Therefore, we are not allowed to expand the scale of the war at will without orders."
Han Shizhong and Wu Jie, who came back from the east and north to report on the battle situation, looked at each other and just bowed in agreement.
That being said, this is the benefit of having an emperor in charge, or this is the reason why although Zhao Jiu will not go to the front line, he must come behind the front line to keep an eye on it... Don't treat these "famous generals of ancient times" as little sheep. In fact, if he hadn't been here, Wu Jie and Han Shizhong would probably follow the trend of the war and attack Yan'an directly . Yuwen Xuzhong couldn't stop them at all, and Hu Yin might be able to hold them back, but it might not be so easy.
In fact, if these military leaders had anticipated Hu Yin's attitude, they would have taken action directly while soliciting opinions. By then, it would have been a fait accompli, and Yuwen Xuzhong and Hu Yin would have had to clean up their messes.
But since the emperor was here, they didn't dare to do so. They could only come here to ask for instructions first, and they had to get two people together to ask for instructions... Unexpectedly, the emperor could make them give up their previous intentions with just one sentence.
"But we have to fight... The only key to this battle is to ensure that the main force of the Western Xia field forces behind Hengshan cannot retreat." Zhao Jiu turned around and spoke on the steps in front of the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor.
"We can't let Xixia panic to the point of mobilizing the whole country." Hu Yin took a half step forward and crossed his arms before Han Shizhong could respond. "Under normal circumstances, we would naturally hope that Xixia would mobilize the whole country. In this way, we could drag Xixia to death after several delays... But now, according to the information sent by Minister Hu, the Khitans sent people back to Western Liao in early March to inform Yelu Dashi to send troops. We don't know when the 30,000 Khitan troops will arrive. That is the real key."
"That's right." Zhao Jiu nodded with his back to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum. "Western Liao is the key."
Western Liao... After knowing that Yelu Dashi's core ruling area had been transferred to the Western Regions and that he had more than 30,000 troops, the civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty unconsciously changed the name. It was no longer Northern Liao, nor was it the remnants. Instead, it used a more appropriate name, which was Western Liao.
"I understand." Han Shizhong also responded immediately. "As long as it's bluffing..."
"Yes, it's just bluffing." Zhao Jiu nodded again.
"It's just the emperor." The yellow-faced Wu Jie suddenly frowned and interrupted. "Is the Western Liao really reliable?"
"I didn't expect to destroy Xixia in one battle." Zhao Jiu also frowned. "As long as the Hexi Corridor is opened, it will be considered a success. Once the Hexi Corridor is opened, first, the arm of Xixia will be cut off, second, the Western Liao will be brought in to suppress Xixia, and third, the Western Regions will be connected, so that the country will no longer lack horses... And Yelu Dashi has been defeated many times and has risen again and again. He has become more and more courageous over the past ten years. Such a person has a deliberate plan and leads 30,000 troops to attack with Pengju's 30,000 troops. How could he not be able to take the empty six counties of Hexi?"
"That's not what I meant." Wu Jie folded his hands solemnly.
On top of Fangshan, Zhao Jiu, Hu Yin and Han Shizhong were almost all stunned. Even Yang Yizhong, who was standing nearby, and Lv Benzhong and other close attendants who had just come from the capital to report the news were slightly stunned... Obviously, everyone understood Wu Jie's hint in an instant.
Of course, there is no need to hint at this situation.
"Your Majesty." Wu Jie saw that Emperor Zhao had come to his senses, and immediately stepped forward and reminded him seriously. "The Liao people are not easy to deal with... I have no doubts about Yelu Dashi's ability, nor do I worry about the fighting power of the Khitans, nor do I worry about the problem of the six counties in Hexi, because whether it is the Jin people or the Western Xia people, even if they have the wisdom of Zhuge Wuhou, I am afraid that they did not take the Khitans in the Western Regions into account from the beginning. This time, the plan is basically like we have grasped the secret of heaven. As long as we show off our strength and bluff in northern Shaanxi, we can reap the benefits... But I am afraid that Yelu Dashi and the Western Liao will succeed too much!"
"What will happen if we go too far?" In the warm breeze of March, Zhao Jiu became completely serious.
" What I mean is that Li Qianshun is almost fifty years old and has been the ruler for forty-seven or forty-eight years. How smart and capable is he? What if he fails to react in time and is attacked by the Liao cavalry along the Hexi Passage to Xingqing Prefecture?" Wu Jie became more solemn. "Moreover, the Liao and Xixia have been intermarried for generations. Before the Jin people won the Yinshan victory, Li Qianshun relied entirely on the Khitans. The queen was Princess Yelu and the crown prince was Yelu's grandson. Therefore, in Xixia, not only the Dangxiang people have a good impression of the Khitans, but even some of the ministers who followed Princess Yelu here still hold high positions. By then..."
"When Yelu Dashi occupies Xingqing Prefecture, will he become too powerful to be eliminated?" Zhao Jiu continued. "Will he imitate the story of Yanjing and bite us hard? Will he occupy Xingling and become the second Li Yuanhao?"
"I don't think so." Just before Wu Jie opened his mouth, Hu Yin spoke again. "For Western Liao and Yelu Dashi, the Jurchens are the biggest enemy that destroyed the country and the formidable enemy. As long as the 200,000 Jurchens are still there, Yelu Dashi, if he still has a bit of sense, will not provoke a fight without authorization..."
"So what if I start a war?" Unexpectedly, Zhao Jiu chose to support Wu Jie this time. "For the Song Dynasty and me, the Jurchens are also a great enemy who destroyed our country. As long as the 200,000 households of the Jurchens on the other side of the river are still there, if I still have a bit of reason, I will not go to war with the Western Liao Dynasty just because of a little territory and friction... Because the Khitans are not the Tanguts. Between the Song and Jin, the Tanguts will only choose to follow the Jin Kingdom and fight against us, while the Khitans will choose to follow us and fight against the Jurchens."
Hu Yin was slightly startled.
"There will definitely not be a war, but friction and probing are unavoidable." Zhao Jiu sighed. "The key is not to show weakness or give in... I think it's enough to remind Pengju a little bit, he will handle it properly... The key is in Xingling Land, we must be on guard."
"The emperor previously promised the six counties and four districts in Hexi, but not the land of Xingling..." Lu Benzhong interrupted hurriedly.
"This matter has nothing to do with whether Xu or not. The outcome will be determined on the battlefield. After the Maritime Alliance, how can we trust a verbal agreement?" Zhao Jiu shook his head impatiently, bypassing Han Shizhong who had been very honest recently, and spoke directly to Wu Jie. "What does Mr. Wu say?"
"I still agree with the previous secret letter." Wu Jie was greatly encouraged and quickly presented the plan he had prepared. "You can contact the governor of Xiazhou, Xixia, Weiming Heda in advance. His original name was Xiao Heda. He was a minister of the deceased Xixia queen, Princess Yelu Nanxian. He has been in charge of the military power in Xiazhou for a long time. After the fall of the Liao Dynasty, many Khitans in and outside the Yellow River also defected to him, but were stopped by Li Qianshun... Your Majesty, in my opinion, the reason why the Khitans in Xixia could tolerate the death of Princess Nanxian and the prince was only because of the prestige of Li Qianshun who had been in power for more than 40 years. Once Yelu Dashi appeared in the heart of Xixia, they might not be incapable of doing anything. After the death of the queen and the prince of Khitan descent, most of these Khitans are now in Xiazhou, an important town behind Hengshan."
You know, as the actual person in charge of the Shaanxi-North front, Wu Jie had been hanging around on the Western Xia border for nearly twenty years and had known Weiming Heda's background early on. He had also reported the matter to Emperor Zhao long after Yelu Dashi's plan came out, and then he had another plan... What he meant was that he planned to incite Weiming Heda's rebellion before Yelu Dashi crossed the Hexi Corridor and wait for Yelu Dashi to send troops. In this way, the Dangxiang people would not be able to take care of both ends, and it might even give the Song Dynasty a chance to directly seize the Hengshan defense line.
But Zhao Jiu had not promised before.
This time, after hesitating for a moment, the official still chose to slowly shake his head: "I still mean that. We still cannot expose Yelu Dashi's existence in advance... Wu Qing also said that Li Qianshun has been the emperor for nearly fifty years and has outstanding prestige in the country. Since he can kill his wife and children and then appoint Weiming Heda without hesitation, it can be seen that he still has some heroic spirit. If he makes things worse, it will be a complete loss."
"But what about Xingling?" Wu Jie seemed a little uneasy. "What if Yelu Dashi went to Xingling, and Weiming Heda responded in Xiazhou, and the heavy troops in Hengshan and the state army surrendered to Yelu Dashi together?"
"Let Yue Pengju make his own decision." Zhao Jiu thought for a moment and made a decision that made Wu Jie slightly stunned. "Send the discussion and intelligence here to him and let him decide how, when, and where to send troops... We are hundreds of miles apart, so there is no need to say too much. I trust him."
Wu Jie opened his mouth to speak, but fell silent, while Han Shizhong also hesitated to speak.
"Wu Qing." After Zhao Jiu finished speaking, he suddenly asked with his hands behind his back. "Did you hear any rumors?"
When these words were spoken, Han Shizhong, Lu Benzhong and others were all stunned. Yang Yizhong still had a blank expression on his face, but Hu Yin narrowed his eyes slightly.
As for Wu Jie, he finally became a little flustered.
"Wu Qing is different from other generals." Zhao Jiu sighed when he saw this, but walked down from the front of the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum with his hands behind his back, shocking the others to follow him. "Left Army Han Qing, Right Army Zhang Qing and I are friends in need, Front Army Yue Qing, Central Army Li Qing, Navy Army Zhang Qing and I are tacitly aware of each other, and Cavalry Army Qu Qing has also been polished in front of me for a whole year... Only Wu Qing, although he cooperated well with me at Yaoshan, in essence, we can only be regarded as ordinary monarchs and ministers, and we are not as unforgettable as the others, who know each other inside and out."
"I do not have much experience and accomplishments." Wu Jie quickly responded from behind. "I am not as good as the other governors."
"So you want to gain some military merit?" Zhao Jiu asked as he walked. "To consolidate your position? Or do you want to prove that the rear troops of the Imperial Camp are still viable?"
Wu Jie was silent for a moment, but still replied honestly: "Your Majesty, all of them."
"Then you must have really noticed some rumors and trends." Zhao Jiu frankly stated the truth in a calm tone. "Many people in your Imperial Camp Rear Army and Han Shizhong's Imperial Camp Left Army were corrupt and abused their power . I found out as soon as I arrived in Chang'an... It was Hu Qing who reported it, but I have heard a lot of things before that. Do you think you can hide those things in your army from me, or from Hu Qing, who was the Chief Censor?"
"I have no way of managing the army." Wu Jie's yellow face finally turned pale. "But I know that Hu Caosi is a man of integrity, so I want to make some military achievements as compensation and proof."
"Then do you know that when Hu Qing reported these things, he repeatedly begged me to be lenient and to postpone the response because military and national affairs are at hand?" Zhao Jiu had a blank expression on his face and continued to ask as he walked.
Wu and Han turned their heads together to look at Hu Yin, who had a gloomy face behind them, and they felt relieved for a moment.
"But does Wu Qing know?" Zhao Jiu continued, but he couldn't help but sneer. "I hesitated for a long time before agreeing, and there are some things that I will not be shaken by because of military achievements and time... For example, your favorite general Yang Zheng was only in his thirties when he became the governor of Huanzhou, but he likes to torture and kill concubines, and likes to peel people's skin like Fan Qiong. Do you think I can tolerate such a person? This person is the one you let make great contributions in this battle, and I must kill him after this battle. And if I were you, for his own good, I should find a way to make him die on the front line."
Wu Jie was startled and his face turned pale again: "I really don't know about this matter."
"If you don't know, then you don't know. After all, Yang Zheng is just a criminal case. But if you say you don't have any clues, I don't believe it." Zhao Jiu said with emotion. "Because I have clues in my mind. Just think about it. In the chaos of the past few years, how many people relied on a knife in their hands to do anything, digging out hearts and lungs, cutting open abdomens and limbs, slaughtering cities and exterminating families. We have all walked out of such bad things. Who hasn't seen it? But now that times have changed, some people have contracted bad habits and can't change, while others have seen more and don't care... I have known for a long time that such people and things are bound to be inevitable. But Wu Dutong, you have to remember that I can't tolerate such things at all! Because I must be a clean man. Even if the Song Dynasty was a bit dirty in the past, it must be a clean country now. How can I tolerate such a conscienceless thing?"
"I've remembered it!" Wu Jie responded without saying a word, but no one knew what he had remembered.
"Besides that, I cannot tolerate anything about the land." The further Zhao Jiu walked, the colder his tone became. "Land granting is the foundation of stability in Guanzhong. It's only been a year and a half, and there are actually officers who have occupied a large area of land? The local government will investigate, and the army will have to protect it. If you don't know about this, it would be a complete deception of the emperor... I don't know if you have read the court reports, and know what I said to those officials during the Yuetai sacrifice. Those who dare to tamper with the land are no different from treason in my eyes... After this battle, if I don't deal with these people thoroughly, I will not be named Zhao! Wu Qing!"
"I am here."
"Do you know my intention now?" Zhao Jiu suddenly stopped and looked back, shocking Wu Jinqing so much that he stood still on the spot and dared not move. "Are you still afraid? Are you still suspicious?"
"minister……"
"If I were you, I wouldn't think about these messy things, because you shouldn't think about things other than military affairs, and there's no need to think about them... In the final analysis, I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, will never let my soldiers suffer any grievances, but I will certainly not allow them to degenerate so quickly."
"Yes." Wu Jie walked around to the bottom and bowed his head to answer.
"Go!" Zhao Jiu, who was wearing a plain cotton robe, looked down at him and patted his shoulder. "Don't think too much. Military strategy comes first, and the front line comes first... If it's a military matter, but you have an idea, whether it's allowed or not, just speak up. I will definitely consider it properly."
"Yes." Wu Jinqing bowed again and hurried down the mountain.
Throughout the whole process, Han Shizhong, who was originally invited by Wu Jie, remained silent obediently and did not act like an older brother at all.
"Your Majesty." However, Han Shizhong did not speak, but someone else spoke. Seeing Wu Jie hurriedly leaving, his figure still on the mountain road surrounded by the imperial guards, Hu Yin directly responded with a serious face. "The two major imperial camps in Guanxi cannot be called decadent, but old habits die hard. Compared with the past, they have actually been getting better in the past two years... There is no need to belittle yourself."
This time, Han Shizhong finally nodded repeatedly to show his agreement.
Zhao Jiu also nodded, but soon shook his head again: "Just like those trivial matters in government affairs, there is still a long way to go!"
This time, Hu Yin, Han Shizhong, Yang Yizhong, and Lu Benzhong just remained silent.
A moment later, when Zhao Jiu was hesitating whether to stay halfway up the mountain to enjoy the flowers, Liu Yan, the second-in-command of the Imperial Guard, suddenly appeared on the mountain road and delivered an urgent report.
"Call Wu Jie back." Zhao Jiu just took a look and gave the order, and the urgent report was also passed to Han Shizhong and others.
"What do you mean?" After a while, Wu Jie hurriedly turned back and climbed back to the middle of the mountain. There were hardly any drops of sweat on his face. Zhao Jiu didn't hesitate to ask directly.
"The Jurchens are also bluffing!" Wu Jie took a quick look and immediately made the same judgment as Han Shizhong. "In the final analysis, the Jurchens still dare not cross the river, so they can only focus on the key area of Hezhong Prefecture in Guanzhong... In fact, they dare not cross the river, and at most they will cross Zhongtiao Mountain and attack Pinglu."
This time, Zhao Jiu nodded directly: "Han Qing and I both think so. So how do you think we should deal with this, Jin Qing?"
"In order to let the emperor know, we must naturally bluff." Wu Jie held the secret document in his hand and blurted out. "Why not ask the Prince of Yan'an to lead his troops back to Tongzhou? But it seems that it is still a bit insufficient, because we don't know how many troops the Jurchens will gather? Should I let my brother Wu Lin lead part of the rear army of the imperial camp to Tongzhou and listen to the orders of the Prince of Yan'an?"
"But if that's the case," Hu Yin suddenly interrupted. "Will the Tanguts who were attracted to Hengshan relax and send their troops back to guard Xingqing Prefecture?"
"That's right." Han Shizhong, who had been keeping quiet in front of the emperor and Hu Yin for almost the entire day, finally spoke with conviction. "In my opinion, not only can we not reduce the pressure on the Hengshan-Yan'an front, but we should also exert some pressure there... It's right to bluff against bluff, but we should consider the overall situation and bluff wherever it is necessary, instead of just focusing on the two sides of Puzhen."
"This is simple." Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed in the warm spring breeze. "Wu Qing will not move, Han Qing will not move his troops in Danzhou, and he can even attack Yan'an. As for Pujin... I will personally go to Tongzhou with Yue Qing to confront Wuzhu across the river... You must know that no one in the world understands the word bluffing better than me!"
The people around were all stunned, but it was Lu Benzhong who reacted first: "Great!"
